by WTRoyal »
10 Jan 2008 23:52
If Dave Kitson had been drinking, then got into the car (which he clearly doesn't own, it belongs to the company that sponsors him and I expect they'll be having it back any time soon thanks very much), and would have failed a test for being over the limit - he should be treated like anyone else, with a ban, a fine and possibly a custodial sentence. Which would be fully deserved.
HOWEVER.
I find it more than a little disappointing that so many people on here appear ready to assume that DK is guilty of drink driving, or would do such a thing.
From personal experience, the police have to have a reason to ask someone for a breath test, e.g. having watched them leave a pub & get in a car, seen them driving erratically, or, if they've stopped them for some other reason then if they smell some drink on the breath. It's quite possible that DK may know this, and had done none of the above things, ie wasn't driving erratically, had no drink on his breath, and hadn't just come out from a pub.
In which case, he could well be pretty pissed off that, when they stopped him, they asked him to take a breath test. Now, I agree with some others on this board that a sensible course of action in that case would have been to provide the sample without question and pass it off lightly, but what human being alive can honestly say that they've never made a mistake and said or done something that they've (possibly almost instantly) regretted?
So, I'm hoping that Dave made a mistake here. Not by drinking and driving (I really hope and - call me naive - but also think he didn't), but by knowing he hadn't had anything to drink and getting annoyed because he knew he shouldn't have been asked to provide a sample, the police had no reason or right to ask him for one, and they were effectively infringing his human rights, as well as breaching their own policies. I'm also hoping that he had several reliable witnesses in the car with him who had spent the evening with him and would testify that he hadn't drunk alcohol and wouldn't have failed a breath test - though how much water that would hold in a court I don't know - hopefully it would reduce his charge to just "obstruction" or whatever the court would call it - which is still a silly thing to do - but let's not condemn him yet.
Just seen on SSN website that RFC have confirmed that a player was arrested while driving but that it was a police matter and they would make no further comment (or words to that effect) - so... fingers crossed he's in trouble for the right wrong reasons rather than the wrong wrong reasons...
EDIT: Apologies, nothing seen on SSN, it was the BBC website